The farther they went, the higher the mountain rose.
The snow grew heavier, too.
Wind swept down the mountainside, making the withered grass beside the cliffs tremble wildly against the cracks in the stone.
Bajie walked at the front.
He kept his Rake turned over, pushing the snow aside with its back.
But this time, he no longer dared to be careless.
After every push, he lowered his head to check.
In this way, the party reached the mouth of the valley and climbed the cliff.
They raised their eyes to look. What a magnificent mountain it was.
Rugged heights towered, sheer peaks soared.
Rugged heights towered into the heavens, sheer peaks soared to bar the azure sky.
Strange rocks lay piled like crouching tigers; ancient pines hung askew like flying dragons.
Birds called along the ridge, their voices rising from the snow.
Plum blossoms bloomed before the cliffs, their fragrance born amid the cold.
Streams murmured with flowing shards of jade; dark summit clouds weighed upon a lonely peak.
Drifting snow, biting wind.
Braving snow and cold, shivering all over, the party crossed those towering peaks and steep ridges.
The mountain path grew harder to travel.
They rounded another ridge.
The wind ahead suddenly eased a little.
The snow lightened, too.
Bajie was the first to look up.
His eyes immediately lit up.
"Huh?"
"There's something up ahead."
Wukong walked forward.
The others stopped behind him.
They gazed into the distance.
Tall buildings rose in a hollow of the mountain.
The houses stood quiet and secluded.
Snow weighed upon a stretch of rooftops.
Several old pines stood outside the courtyard.
Their branches bent beneath the snow, drooping over the wall.
Looking farther ahead,
they saw a patch of level ground on the mountainside.
A small courtyard stood upon it.